Some businesses suffered during the nearly yearlong construction, Edwards said.

The city had to build an entrance for a dentist's office made unreachable by the roadwork. Car dealership owners told him they were constantly rewashing new cars because of dust in the air.

Alberto Fonseca, owner of Chile Mercado, 4640 SE 15, said his sales went down about 60 percent during the construction. Tie-ups in the area of Vickie Drive and SE 15 meant streets would get backed up and clogged, especially during high-volume times of day. “For lunch people (who) only have a little bit of time, one of my entrances was closed. ... It was a mess.”

Fonseca said he is excited the road is open and traffic is flowing again.

“Slowly but surely, things are moving along and business is picking up,” he said.